Passengers traveling on-board passenger transportation vehicles, such as aircraft, for trips of any duration are typically served one or more hot meals. Aircraft galleys are typically equipped with steam or convection ovens for preparing the hot meals. While steam and convection ovens have been standard, the trend is expected to be toward using induction ovens in aircraft galleys, which use heated coils and induction waves to heat food. It is desirable that any new catering processes for use with preparing food in induction ovens match as closely as possible the current catering processes used for steam and convection ovens.
The catering logistics and processes for conventional heating ovens (such as steam and hot air circulation convection ovens) are somewhat standard. Food prepared at the catering location is put in individual aluminum casseroles, and the individual casseroles are placed in metallic trays. The trays are then placed in metallic meal carriers. The catering company delivers the loaded metallic meal carriers directly to the aircraft (with the meals either chilled or frozen), and the meal carriers are stowed directly into the oven. In flight, the meals are re-heated to the desired temperature.
To serve the meals, a flight attendant positions a hot meal casserole into a separate metallic tray before serving it to a passenger. When the catering service is finished, the separate metallic trays are returned to the oven. In case of a second catering service (e.g., on a long flight), new loaded metallic trays are used. When the aircraft is back on the ground, the catering company removes the empty meal carriers and replaces them with loaded ones. The carriers and trays are then cleaned at the catering location and ready for re-use.
Inductions ovens currently being developed and envisioned for use on board aircraft and other passenger transport vehicles have oven cavities that are divided into multiple shelves. Induction coils are disposed in the shelves and heat food placed thereon. The food to be heated will be provided in individual casseroles and introduced into the oven and positioned on the shelves to be heated. A schematic view of an exemplary induction-type oven for use in an aircraft galley is shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, which illustrate an oven cavity 100 having a series of shelves 102 with an open column 104 therebetween.
Rather than providing individual casseroles that need to be positioned individually on each shelf, the open column is designed to accommodate portions of a meal carrier that may be positioned completely inside the oven. This allows for the expected catering logistics for induction ovens to track as closely as possible the catering logistics for conventional ovens. For example, rather than requiring single cassettes that contain meal casseroles that need to be loaded individually into the oven, it is preferable to provide a carrier that can transport and contain a number of meal casseroles at once.
One example of a meal carrier system that has been designed for use with induction ovens is shown and described in U.S. Publication No. 2010/0155391, titled “Galley Oven for Preparing Food on Board an Aircraft.” The present application describes a different system that removes the need to use a complete meal carrier, but instead provides a modular tray system that can easily be transported and positioned in the induction oven.